


Unforeseen Occurrences in Time and Space

by Kadira



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-14
Updated: 2007-07-14
Packaged: 2017-11-16 20:28:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/543510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kadira/pseuds/Kadira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just how would the Master react if he paid a visit to the TARDIS and discovered the Doctor's special companion?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unforeseen Occurrences in Time and Space

"And who would you be?" the Master asked once he had finished looking around the TARDIS, eyebrows raised and his eyes fixed on the other creature.

"I'm the Master," the android answered in his own voice.

"I very much doubt that," the Master said, walking towards the android. It was perfect. Almost. "You might look like me, but the rest is still open for debate," he added, then grinned. That was not what he had expected when he'd decided to track down the Doctor, right to this wretched planet the Doctor loved so much. However, he had to admit, it certainly made the situation very interesting. "And how do you come to be here?"

"The Doctor created me," the android said, then stopped for a moment, eyeing him in clear confusion. "He created me to hold your spirit," he said then. "But you're here now."

"In flesh and blood. And spirit."

"But--"

"I assure you, my spirit is entirely with me, I'm very sure about that. However," he said, circling the android, "this is most fascinating."

  
*******   


The Doctor found himself humming when he returned to the TARDIS after having left Alison with Joe, and after having turned down their invitation to join Joe's birthday celebration.

Such domestic events just weren't his cup of tea, never had been and never would be and not even his companions would be able to change that, no matter how much he cherished them. In fact, he much more preferred the walk through the abandoned park now, enjoying his peace and breathing in the fresh air that still smelled of rain after the recently passed storm.

"Oh, you're back already, Doctor!" the Master greeted him as soon as the Doctor had opened the door, even before he had really stepped into the TARDIS.

"So it appears," he said, smiling contently.

"And how long will Alison stay here?"

"Just a few days. She will call once she is ready. I told her that we would use the time to--," he stopped and looked around. He couldn't say just what it was, but something felt off. Not exactly wrong, just... different.

"Did something happen while I was away?" he asked, warily.

"Indeed," the Master said with a cautious smile. "My dear Doctor, we appear to have a visitor."

"Do we? And who would that be? Nobody knows that we are here."

"Ah, my dear Doctor, don't you have any imagination?"

The Doctor stared at the owner of the voice as he stepped out of the shadows. It couldn't be. Impossible. He was dead. Or had been nearly dead when he'd last seen him on Kolesa.

"Master," he said then, feeling more than just a tad dumbfounded. For once he couldn't hide his surprise, couldn't hold onto his confidence as the figure stepped further into the room. He didn't like the feeling one bit, not under normal circumstances and certainly not here, with his unexpected visitor.

"Doctor--"

"He is talking to me, I believe, my dear... other self," the Master said, grinning widely. "Had I known that you'd miss me so much, I would have shown up earlier, Doctor."

"So it's really you." Granted, it was by no means the most original comeback, but he was still busy processing the news that the other wasn't dead after all. Not that he should be surprised. Probably not. After all, if the Master was good at one thing (apart from annoying him, that was), it was at avoiding death, more often than not in the very last moment.

Still, he had been sure that it had been finale this time, had been so convinced that he had felt torn apart inside -- because enemies or not, he didn't really want to see the other Time Lord dead. Not any more than the other way around! --, almost as if he had lost a part of himself.

Of course, that again had brought him to the point that he had created the android, which caused him to be in this rather questionable situation now, in which he stood between the Master and... the Master. By and large, it was a situation that would be rather difficult to explain.

If one felt the desire to explain it, which the Doctor clearly didn't.

In fact, he certainly wouldn't have minded if the other Time Lord had never found out about his android-self. Ever. Maybe he should have equipped the android with a self-destruction mechanism for the unlikely case that the Master should decide that death wasn't a real option yet. But that hadn't been a real option either, still wasn't in fact. After all, he had grown very fond of his special companion.

"How did you get away this time?" he finally asked the first thing that came to his mind. It was as good as anything else. He congratulated himself silently for his steady voice. As far as he was concerned, he could die inwardly of embarrassment, just as long as the Master wouldn't notice his discomfort.

"That doesn't sound as if you're pleased to see me, my dear Doctor. Should I apologize that I didn't die after all? Or would you rather want for me to leave the two of you alone for your honeymoon?"

The Doctor wanted to insist that there was a perfectly rational explanation for all this, but couldn't bring himself to say it, not at least because then the Master would want to hear it and there was just _none_. None that wouldn't end up with him wishing that there would be a nice, distracting Dalek attack right outside the doors of the TARDIS, or that he could just evaporate on the spot, that was.

You didn't just tell your archenemy that the idea that he might be dead all but killed you and that you missed him! Not even when it was true, certainly not when said arch-nemesis was someone like the Master. So, for once in his long life, the Doctor was at a loss for words.

Fortunately the Master wasn't, which maybe made the situation a little bit less awkward. "How much alike is he? Does he have all of my good points?"

Or maybe not. Why was Earth so peaceful anyway? How about a sudden invasion that needed to be stopped? Where was everybody who usually tried to make his life difficult when he needed them?

The android grunted in indignation. "Of course. What do you think?"

The Master smirked. "Oh yes? You really must have missed me then," he said when the Doctor didn't answer; voice a deep purr that sent shivers down the Doctor's spine.

Slowly, the Master went around the console, approaching the Doctor. The predatory smile that played around his lips let the Doctor's hearts skip a beat. "But maybe we should rather talk about that later."

"How did you manage to escape this time?" the Doctor asked again, more to distract himself from the emotional onslaught than anything else. He turned his eyes away from the other Time Lord and shrugged first out of his slightly damp cape, then the coat. He took his time hanging up both, before he turned around again. "The last time I saw you, you were about to be sacrificed to the Fire God on Kolesa."

"Oh yes. And you left me there. To burn. I should be hurt, but seeing this here," he pointed at his android-self who wisely kept his mouth shut for once, "makes me almost forgive you. _Almost_ , my dear Doctor."

"Almost?" the Doctor asked, turning around to the Master. "Have you forgotten the time before that? When you tried to sell me out to cannibals? I would say that we are more than even."

"Oh, I doubt that, my dear Doctor. We will never be even. But maybe we could approach each other a bit. _Again_." He stopped right in front of the Doctor. So close, that the Doctor could feel warm breath ghosting over his face. He resisted the urge to lean forward and to just kiss the smirk off the Master's face.

"Tell me, Doctor," the Master continued, eyes gleaming, "Just how much does he resemble me?"

"I pride myself to have everything you have. Maybe even a bit more," the android said, voice firm, but with a tinge of hurt.

"Oh, really? So you kept our dear Doctor really good company? In every aspect?"

"Of course I did! Not that I had much of a choice, mind you, but I most certainly did."

Before the Doctor could say something, the Master focused on him again, a knowing smile playing around his features. "I always knew that you were a bit eccentric, but I wasn't aware that you had such... peculiar tastes, my dear Doctor. Maybe we should invite him. It could be interesting," the Master purred, licking over his lips. "Wouldn't you like that? He seems to be a bit on the softer side, but he does have the right looks and charm, if I may say so," the Master said, then leaned forward to capture the Doctor's lips with his own.

The Doctor couldn't entirely suppress a moan when the almost painfully familiar taste washed over him, then decided that it didn't matter anyway. The situation could hardly get any more embarrassing after all. Maybe he could at least distract the Master for long enough that he would forget all about his other self -- sex could cause the most interesting results after all. He buried one of his hands in the dark hair, pulled the Master even nearer until their bodies were pressed so closely together, that he could hear both their hearts beat in unison.

Out of half closed eyes, the Doctor watched the other Time Lord, could observe how his gaze clouded in pleasure, just like in the past. It was perfect and he never wanted for it to end. He wrapped his free arm around the Master's body, tried to pull him even closer. The Master's leather-gloved hands on his back felt hot and cool at once, as the Master pulled out his shirt, to reach bare skin. His hips bucked unconsciously as the other's hardness pressed against his own, the groan not really lost in the other's mouth.

Reluctantly, he let go when the Master withdrew. Not completely, but he still didn't like the loss of contact. The Doctor wanted more. Preferably _now_. But things were rarely that easy between them. Even if they knew the outcome of the game, it had to be played until the end. Even here and now.

"Admit that you missed me," the Master demanded, voice rough and husky.

"I won't. But since you are here, why don't we just try ' _to approach each other a bit. Again_ '?" he gave back with a grin, glad that his voice wasn't shaking.

"Oh, that won't do, my dear Doctor. Not at all," the Master said with one of those smiles that rarely promised anything good. Certainly not for him.

"And what do you want to do? Try to hypnotize me into saying what you want to hear?" the Doctor said, challenging.

"Oh no, I don't think that I will need to resort to such brute force. Not with you. Don't forget, I know you better than anyone else. Still. Let's see what you really want, my dear Doctor," he said, then turned his attention to the other Master. "Would you mind coming over for a moment, my dear friend?"

The Doctor found himself inwardly groaning as the android answered, "Certainly, Master," and that not just happily, but quite eagerly so.

The Doctor really began to wonder just what he had been thinking when he had tried his best to keep him as close as possible to the original. Maybe he could make a plea for temporary insanity in the first shock after he had left Kolesa...

"Not quite the same as when you say it, Doctor, but it has something when yourself uses your name," the Master said with a pleased smile, then grabbed the android as soon as he had come within reach.

"No, don't do that," the Doctor said, just as the Master had pulled his other self close -- much too close! The other Time Lord smirked, buried a hand in the other's hair and kissed him. Not just kissed him, but positively plundered his mouth, while his eyes were locked with the Doctor's, his gaze challenging and inviting at once. The android seemed only too happy to oblige and answered by wrapping his arms around the Master, pressing their bodies together.

The Doctor couldn't help the groan that escaped him at the display in front of him. One of them was bad enough, but two Masters were just too much. Certainly for him, in the current situation. And he was sure that the Master knew it, because there was just no other reason for him to put his hands on the android's backside, slowly letting them wander down, massaging suggestively.

"I think somebody feels left out," the Master -- the original, of course -- said, but made no move to push the other one away. "Don't you, my dear Doctor?"

With a snarl, the Doctor crossed the short distance between them. He pushed the android aside and pressed the Master against the wall of the TARDIS. "You want to know what I want and feel?" he asked, voice a low growl. "Then have it," he said, framing the other's face with his hands, carefully, not much more than a fleeting touch.

He didn't bother with being gentle when he claimed the other's lips, but put every emotion he felt in it -- the frustration with the other Time Lord that has built up throughout the years, his desolation upon the other's feared death, but also his relief and his lust. As soon as he felt the Master recover from his shock and responding to his kiss, he opened his mind, flooded the other's, let him see and feel just what he wanted from him, even the things he would never put into words. Not now, not ever, because that was just not how their game was played.

He could feel the other tremble under the force of his mental onslaught, but just when he wanted to retreat, he felt the Master opening his mind as well, repaying him in kind for what he had done. It was too fast and too much to be more than fleeting images, a faint mirror of their relationship, but it was all there - echoes of their past, the stolen moments far away from everybody else whenever they managed to sneak away from the Academy, hours of heated debates and scientific experiments, cool touches and kisses that were impossibly hot, murmured words that could never ever reflect the unfeasible bond between them, desire and fear, hate and care, and all that what they would never admit to each other, not even in the heat of the moment, when they were both open and so very vulnerable.

He released the other's face, let his hands wander over his chest and to the buttons of his black jacket, tried to do so without breaking the kiss.

"Doctor, may I--"

"Oh, shut up," the Doctor said, exasperated, then finally gave up for the moment. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the remote control. He apologised silently (but two of them were just too much to deal with, even for him), pointed it at the android and switched him off.

"You're sure about that? He has a lot of possibilities," the Master said.

This time the Doctor kissed the smirk off his face.

"Do you rather want him than me?" the Doctor asked then, voice harsh. "I'm sure I could find you a room where the two of you can indulge in your narcissistic needs." Not that he had any plans to let that happen. Not anymore at this stage, not when everything in him screamed for his eternal enemy and closest friend. But his patience was wearing a bit thin by now.

After the emotional roller coaster of the last months, he just wanted to tear the clothes off the other Time Lord and to feel him - around him, in him, in any way possible, in any way that would assure him that the Master was indeed still alive and, in return, would allow him to finally feel complete again. No more games. Not now. And he didn't care how pathetically desperate it made him appear.

"Do I get time to think about it? I mean, it's a difficult decision..."

"Oh yes, you can have all the time you want, Master," the Doctor said, his smile brightening. "We don't want for you to regret your decision later, do we?"

"What?" the Master asked alarmed, then groaned as his mind was bombarded by very vivid images of all the things they could do together and of what they had done in the past. There was a slight tremble in his voice when the Master spoke next: "New body aside -- though I quite like it, I have to say -- you're still your same old self, still as manipulative as ever, I can see. It's not necessarily one of your better traits, Doctor."

"Ah, but I reserve this especially for you. You would probably have grown bored of our game" -- _and so of me_ , his mind added very unhelpfully -- "without that a long time ago," he said and reached once more for the other Time Lord, to deal with his clothes, "and that we can't have, can we? Besides, it's not me who is a master in that field. That doubtful honour belongs alone to you," he whispered against the other's body, before he kissed the first batch of bare skin he could reach, allowed himself to get lost in the other Time Lord once more.

 

*******

¨What is the whole 'holding _my spirit_ ' supposed to mean anyway, Doctor? Not even you can store the spirit of a living creature in an inorganic object," the Master said much later, when they were both sated for the moment and just lay peacefully beside each other, limbs still somehow tangled in an attempt to make the contact last.

The Doctor always liked these moments best, even before the rest. It had some special kind of intimacy, which allowed them to just exist, for the time being without even the need to fight against or to compete with each other.

Of course, the moment would have been even more perfect, if the other wouldn't have insisted on bringing up _that_ topic again.

"I thought you were dead," the Doctor admitted after a moment, slightly flustered.

"And so you decided to build yourself an android that looks like me. I feel ... flattered." The Doctor could hear the low rumble that welled up in the other's chest just before he heard the laugh. "The perfect pet. And there people wonder about the state of my mind. Maybe I should take him with me. He could help me with my next plan," the Master purred in his ear, causing a slight, not at all unpleasant shiver to run over the Doctor's back.

"I'm sorry to say, but he can't leave the TARDIS," the Doctor said, not sounding very sorry at all, because he could just imagine what would happen with both of them out there! Having one Master trying to take over the galaxy was one thing, but two of them?

The Master laughed. "Oh, my dear Doctor. This gets more interesting within the moment. Since you're so fond of your humans, maybe we should ask one of their psychologists what they'd made out of that? I'm sure they'd have a field day. After all, you have a domesticated copy of me, your best enemy, in your TARDIS, unable to leave you. Seeing that you are the one who claims to be a Doctor, tell me, is it on time that we talk about some suppressed issues?"

The Doctor reluctantly lifted his head and glared at the Master. "Oh, cut that out, will you. Or are you just here to make fun of me? You have had more than enough of that on my expense for one meeting."

"Not at all. But it's hardly my fault that you just provide the best entertainment, my dear Doctor. And the idea has some potential. Maybe I should build myself my own Doctor..."

"Don't even think about it!" the Doctor snapped.

"No? Why not? After all, you did the same..."

"I thought you dead! That's different."

"So you admit that you missed me?"

Of course he had done so. In fact, the thought that he had allowed the other to die had almost killed _him_. Not that he would confess that. It was just not something they talked about.

"How long will you stay?" he asked instead of answering. Not 'will you stay', just how long. The Master wouldn't stay. He never did and the Doctor didn't think he would want it either. This was all part of their game, of who they were, of who they had become.

The Master's laugh was a deep sound that soothed the Doctor almost instantly. Like in the past. "Not for long," he said, obviously allowing for now the change of topic. "I have places to be and worlds to take over."

"I don't suppose you'll tell me where you're going next? It could spare us a lot of time, if I wouldn't first need to hunt you down before I can stop your next plan to take control over the universe," he said, unable to hide the grin completely.

Right now, he felt far too relaxed and happy to worry about the future too much. Not that he had much of a doubt that he would find the Master and foil his next plans, no matter what they were. It was just the nature of their game. Along with almost getting killed, obviously. He frowned a bit at that. He certainly hoped they could avoid that next time. He didn't want to go through that again.

Amusement glimmered in the Master's eyes. "Only if you admit that you missed me, my dear Doctor."

"You wish. Even if I did that -- and I don't see how I should miss you making my life difficult, certainly not with your other, much less troubling self around, if you don't mind me saying so -- you would never tell me anything, certainly not about that, so don't even try that approach. You could never lie to me. Not in the past and certainly not now. Don't forget that, Koshei," he said, purposefully using the other's old, now almost forgotten name, knowing full well just how it tended to aggravate him.

The Master frowned. "Don't do that. Use my real name. You know that I like to hear you saying it."

"Which is probably the only reason you chose it." It wasn't a question, but a statement. They both knew the truth anyway.

"Everything to make you happy, Doctor."

The Doctor chuckled. "If you want to make me happy then kiss me, _Master_."

"Hmm, I really like the sound of that, my dear Doctor," the Master murmured and leaned forward. The Doctor sighed in contentment when he felt the other's goatee scrap over his skin, followed by the feeling of the familiar lips against his own, kissing him just in the way that made him want to hold onto the moment, to make it last for so much longer than it would.

But for now the Master was here, at his side, and he would do his damn best to make the most of their time together. Soon enough, both of them would be on their way again and who knew when they would meet once more, or under what circumstances.

 

*******

The android was already active and up when the Doctor finally emerged from his room.

"Where's the Master?" he asked, voice clipped, passing the small table where the chess game was still at the exact position as it had been when they'd become too distracted to play the evening before. Maybe next time they'd finally manage to finish a game for a change, he thought, unable to completely suppress a smile.

"Right here," the Master said.

"No, not you, the other one."

"He left early this morning to go on an important business meeting. It's a pity, I quite liked him. Certainly more than your humans." Which wasn't entirely true, the Doctor knew. The Master, this version of him at least, had grown quite fond of Alison. Of course, like the original, he would never admit that, not even under torture.

The Doctor's eyes narrowed slightly as the rest of the words sunk in. "I don't suppose you'll tell me where that would be?"

"I couldn't, Doctor. He didn't tell me. Not that at least."

The Doctor doubted that the Master would tell him anything even if he knew more. Maybe he shouldn't have stuck quite so close to the Master's characterisation. But he had missed him and this was the closest he had come to have him back. "Then what did he tell you?" he asked.

The Master smiled brightly, in a way that reminded him far too much of the original. It was a bit unsettling and the Doctor wondered for a moment if the Master had somehow tampered with his programming. He wouldn't put it past the other Time Lord. In fact, coming to think of it, he had taken the whole situation very well, maybe too well.

"Well," the android said and the bright smile turned into a predatory one, "the Master gave me the explicit order to take very good care of his dear Doctor until your next meeting."

He came so close that the Doctor could feel the warm breath on his face, almost caressing. Too late, the Doctor realized that they were in the exact same position as a few days ago, when the Master had jumped into his life again and had turned it upside down. "In fact," the Master continued, "he said that it included all levels."

When he leaned forward, the Doctor was almost sure that it hadn't been his brightest idea to re-create the Master, at least not so life-like. When their lips met, so painfully familiar, like the real thing, he abandoned that thought for the moment.

But that was one of the things he and the Master had to discuss when they met again. Definitely. No playing around with the other's toys anymore, _ever_.

It took him a moment to collect himself when the Master withdrew, then the Doctor went over to the table, absently stroking over his hair. He swallowed a 'you're not him', because that wasn't entirely true.

"Especially after you lied to me," the Master said before the Doctor could think about something to break the silence.

The Doctor looked up, eyes narrowed.

"His words, not mine. But you insisted that I was--"

The Doctor waved him off. He was in no mood for another one of these talks. Not with any of his Masters. "I didn't lie. You are just like him, in case you haven't noticed," the Doctor said, a note of frustration in his voice. "You are the Master. So what, I have programmed you. I believed him _dead_. I gave you everything he was... well, is. This absolutely annoying conversation should be proof enough of that. Nobody else would dare to have this kind of talk with me. You're just as infuriating as he is. The only difference is that you are here and he is busy trying to find a way to annoy me even further. Does that answer all your questions or do you have any more complaints, _Master_?"

He turned away from the Master and poured himself a cup of the steaming tea that was waiting for him. The sudden burst of anger seemed to drain away with the same speed the dark beverage filled the cup, was replaced by something the Doctor could only describe as guilt. "I'm sorry," he said once he had calmed down, turning around with the cup in his hand. The Master didn't deserve his irritation, certainly not this version of him.

"He will be back. He told me so."

The Doctor accepted the news with a small nod. What else was new? They always met. At least as long as they managed to stay alive. And in the meanwhile they had enough other things to do, so that he should hardly have time to miss him. And android or not, his Master was certainly a handful, obviously now that he had met the original even more than before.

"I also promised him I would take care of you, that I wouldn't allow you to do something strange and to get hurt," the Master added, a hint of curiosity in his voice, almost as if he wanted to see how the Doctor would react to such a revelation.

The brown gaze held his eyes, not even wavering once. "I know," the Doctor said then. It was as simple as that and he didn't think it was only part of the programming. Knowing that someone -- even if it was an android he built in the image of his best foe -- cared, made him feel less lonely. "Thank you," he said, his voice serious.

The Master nodded. "So, what now? Any special place in mind? Any worlds to save?" he asked and there was a barely veiled nuance of disdain in his voice as he said the latter, another reminder of the original Master. It washed over the Doctor, comforting in all its irritating familiarity.

The Doctor took a sip from the hot tea, then sighed contently. It was perfect. Just the right choice of leaves, precisely blended and no sugar. Sugar covered the taste too much, made tea almost undrinkable. He would never understand Alison and her desire to put tons of sugar in her tea. The only sweet thing he would maybe tolerate, even if certainly not in his tea, were Jelly Babies, mostly for old times' sake.

"We could try Bognor Regis once more. What do you think, Master?" he asked, then put the cup away to instruct the TARDIS. He could feel her buzz in appreciation. After the last few days of immobility, his wonderful girl was more than ready to take them anywhere into the galaxy.

"We will never get there, Doctor. You should just give up," the Master said, but the Doctor could hear the smile in his voice.

"Nonsense. It has to be somewhere after all. We could finish the game in the meanwhile, if you think you can beat me," he suggested, pointing at the game of chess, which was now warmly illuminated by the light of the crackling flames in the fireplace. After all, he had started the game with the Master, so it would only be right to finish it with him as well.

"I will beat you any time, my dear Doctor," the Master said with a wide grin and the Doctor thought that maybe it would be all right, that maybe his Master hadn't been such a mistake after all. Annoying yes, certainly, but not a mistake.

And between Alison and her unlimited ability to wonder, _his_ Master and fulfilling his promise to visit Bognor Regis with him (and they would get there -- as soon as he had found it!), he would definitely be busy enough until the next time. The company certainly was pleasant enough.

**-.-.-.-.-**

**Author's Note:**

> Uh, I'm sorry? But you have to admit, that story needed to be written. I mean, the Doctor built his own Master!pet and confined him to the TARDIS for god's sake. So it isn't really my fault, right? The BBC started with the canon!crack!


End file.
